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MBA Schools Admissions Criteria

What are admissions criteria for MBA schools?

So the business schools will have admissions criteria for their MBAs. We believe that there are seven. The first is the GMAT score, then there are application essays, then there is the timing of the application, then there is the achievement in previous academic experiences. In the states this is the GPA and in Britain the "class" of degree that you get. Then there is the work experience that you have, which can sometimes be the most important. Eventually there are the interviews - which are the final way that a business school will use to separate the many applications that they get.

The GMAT is the Graduate Management Admissions Test. Many people will complain about the GMAT and say that it isn't a fair test of MBA student skills. But it is here to stay. The best schools will expect you to get around 700 (out of 800) in the GMAT. Good schools will require more than 600. Like price, you can tell the prestige of the school by the amount of GMAT you need to get in.

Application essays show that you are able to write well in English as well as allowing them to ask you questions about why you want to do an MBA, and what team skills and management/leadership skills you have.

Timing is important, because the school knows how many students it can successfully handle and the earlier you apply the more spaces that there will be on the course and thus the easier to get in.

As far as your previous academic performance is concerned, the business school can see how well you fit into university life. In America it is your GPA (Grade Point Average) which is taken account of, and above 3 is a good score. In the UK it is your degree class (best to be 2:1 and above).

Work experience is very important to a business school. A major part of the student's experience is to learn from each others experience, which can only happen if they actually have experience. So, if your GMAT is low, your application essay isn't so good, and your timing and GPA are bad - but you were the product manager who launched Adidas cosmetics on the world - business schools will look kindly upon you.

Recommendations would be from businesses or maybe a lecturer at the school, but they mean a lot to the school.

The interview is really there just to make sure and sometimes to make the final judgment on applications (who gets in and who gets out). However, it is the previous criteria which get you the interview. After that it's up to you to put the best "you" forward.